Starting Tomorrow
by Gleeks09
Summary: AU: Rachel is 13 and this is her first day of high school.  It doesn't go like she imagines and she doesn't want her parents to find out how her day really went.  Shelby has always been a part of her life and shares custody with Hiram and Leroy.  AU


**A/N – Here's another one-shot story. It's in the same world as A Hard Knock Life. Shelby has always been in Rachel's life and shares custody of her with Hiram and Leroy. She's starting high school in this story. Also, thanks for all the ideas and inputs. I think it's pretty even between those who want more little Rachel stories and those who want to see her as a teenager. I like doing both so you'll be getting more of each. Thank you guys so much for reading and sticking with me. And I hope you enjoy this one.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. But I'm pretty excited that Idina Menzel will be back on the show. **

Starting tomorrow everything was going to be different at school. Starting tomorrow she was going to find her place to shine and she'd finally have friends and the other kids would like her. Starting tomorrow she was going to be in high school.

Rachel emerged from her closet carrying a couple more sweaters and placed them on her bed, spending a few minutes mixing and matching them with her skirts to try and work out the perfect first-day-of-high school look. She was determined to make a good impression the following morning when she started William McKinley High School. She hadn't exactly been the most popular kid in middle school, but she was going to change that this year in high school. She just knew that it was going to be different because they were all growing up and surely the name calling and throwing food would stop. High school kids didn't do that kind of thing. This year would be about building friendships and finding the place she would be able to leave her mark on the school before she moved on to New York City and college and Broadway.

Rachel did a bit more rearranging and then beamed when she settled on the outfit she would wear; a red plaid skirt with a white sweater with a red carousel horse on it. She would throw in some white knee socks and a red headband and it would be perfect. She smiled at her choice and then nodded her head in affirmation before going about the task returning the rest of the clothes to their proper spot in the closet.

Shelby stood in the doorway for a few moments watching Rachel move back and forth from her bed to the closet before she reached out and knocked lightly on the door.

"Hey, Mom," Rachel smiled at her and Shelby moved all the way into the room. "What are you doing here? I didn't expect that you would be over tonight."

"And miss getting to see my little girl the night before high school? Never," Shelby said.

"I'll see you tomorrow night after school," Rachel said. They had planned a big dinner the next night so Rachel could tell them all about her day. "I thought you'd be busy getting ready for your own first day."

"I've been ready for a few weeks now," Shelby said. "All that I've been missing is the students. What are you doing?"

"I was picking out what outfit I was going to wear tomorrow," Rachel said. "I want to make a good impression."

"Is this the one?" Shelby asked.

"Yep," Rachel beamed but then hesitated. "Do you think it'll be ok?"

"I think it will be," Shelby assured her. She put an arm around Rachel's shoulders and leaned down and placed a kiss on the girl's head. She couldn't believe her baby was starting high school.

Shelby had spent months as a surrogate agonizing about the prospect of having to give the baby away until she had convinced Hiram and Leroy to allow her to be a part of her child's life. The fathers had been skeptical at first, but when Rachel was born the three of them had formed a cohesive parenting team and never looked back. And now they were with a thirteen-year-old on the eve of high school.

Shelby would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about Rachel in high school. Rachel had started kindergarten a year early at her parents' insistence. Her birthday was after the cut-off date, but she had been tested and received a waiver to start early. She was an extremely bright child and it seemed like a shame to make her wait a whole other year to start school. But as time went on, Rachel found herself being picked on with more and more frequency. First they called her a baby, and being sometimes more than a year younger than some of her classmates didn't help her to combat that claim. She was called a showoff because of her reading and singing abilities. She was a teacher's pet because she liked to engage her teachers in conversation. She was a tattletale for telling on kids who picked on others, though she found that no one told when she was being picked on. Rachel had come home in tears on more than a few occasions because she couldn't understand why none of the other kids would play with her. Even some of the kids she took dance classes with pretended like they didn't know her when they were in school.

"You know we can still arrange it for you to come to Carmel with me," Shelby said.

This was something that all three parents had been trying to talk Rachel into all summer. Though they lived in the McKinley district, Rachel could get a waiver to attend Carmel because her mother was a teacher there, but Rachel had resisted. All three adults like the idea because it would afford Shelby the opportunity to keep an eye out for her, but Rachel told them that she would be fine on her own. Besides, what kid wanted her mom in the same school with her every day? Rachel knew McKinley had a glee club and she felt she would be perfect for it. Shelby had reminded her that she'd be perfect for Vocal Adrenaline, but Rachel was determined to make her own way.

"No," Rachel answered. "I think I'm going to like McKinley. I'll know people there and I'm sure I can make the glee club this year. And I still get to work with you so I'm not missing out."

Shelby had tried to explain time and again that McKinley's glee club was in tatters, but that almost made it that much more appealing to Rachel. She could fix it and be the star.

"Ok," Shelby said. "If you're sure."

"I am."

"Then I will leave you so you can start getting ready for bed," Shelby said.

"Aw, but Mom," Rachel whined. "I'm in high school now."

"Yes and you have a big day tomorrow," Shelby reminded her. "And did you really think that you wouldn't have a bedtime anymore just because you're in high school now?"

"Yeah," Rachel mumbled.

Shelby chuckled and pulled Rachel close again. "Sorry, sweetie," Shelby said. "I'll be downstairs with your dads."

"She still thinks she's about thirty-five," Shelby said to Hiram and Leroy when she joined them at the table in the kitchen.

"She's thought she was grown up since she was about four," Hiram said.

"Do you think she's ready for tomorrow?" Shelby asked. She gratefully took a cup of hot tea from Leroy before he handed one to his husband and then sat down at the table with his own.

"As ready as she's ever going to be," Leroy answered.

"Are we ready?" Hiram asked. "That's the real question."

Rachel appeared ten minutes later with her pajamas on and took a seat on Leroy's lap and pouted as she leaned back into him. "I'm not tired, you know."

"Well then I guess the extra quiet time will allow you to contemplate important matters such as the meaning of life," Hiram said.

"Dad," Rachel rolled her eyes at him.

"Did you get your outfit all picked out?" Leroy asked.

"Yes!" Rachel said proudly. "I'm wearing one of my favorite sweaters."

The three adults exchanged a look as Rachel described her outfit in detail. The all knew that their child didn't have much of a fashion sense, but they had encouraged her to wear what she felt comfortable in. They just never thought the skirt and sweaters phase would have lasted this long. But it was what Rachel liked and they didn't discourage it.

"Ok, peanut," Hiram said when the outfit description was over, "it really is time for you to get in bed."

Rachel sighed and then looked back at Leroy and then to Shelby in turn hoping that they would help her out, but it was clear her parents all agreed. "Fine."

She gave Leroy a kiss goodnight before getting up from his lap and doing the same for Hiram.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Shelby said when she kissed Rachel. "Make sure they take lots of pictures for me in the morning."

"They will," Rachel said. They always did.

Rachel trudged out of the room and each adult listened to hear her footsteps going up the stairs, but they didn't hear anything. Rachel was lingering in the living room, a stalling tactic she often used.

"Rachel, do you need me to walk you to your room?" Leroy called out.

"No," came the reply and then they heard her quick pace to the second story.

Shelby went to check on her fifteen minutes later and found that their girl who proclaimed to not be at all tired was fast asleep. She just hoped that Rachel stayed asleep and didn't let her excitement get the better of her and end up being awake most of the night.

"She's out," Shelby told the men when she returned to the kitchen. "And I should go too. I'll see you guys tomorrow for dinner so she can tell us about her day."

The following morning Rachel stood out in front of McKinley High with a smile on her face. She had just waved goodbye to her dads ad watched them drive off before turning back to the school and silently declaring that this year would be different. She took a deep breath to calms her nerves and then confidently walked toward the front door.

Her class schedule was clasped firmly in her hand as she made her way through the crowds of people in the halls so she could find her homeroom class. She couldn't wait for the day to get started so she could get her locker assignment and start to settle in.

Her steps faltered and slowed for a bit when she heard people start to laugh. Her head trained to the side as she listened for any conformation that they were laughing at her. She glanced over and saw one girl pointing at her and the other started to laugh harder when she realized Rachel was looking at them. Rachel snapped her head back to the front and held it high as she picked up her pace once more. It was the first day and those girls could be laughing at anything.

By the time lunch came around, Rachel had been unsuccessful at finding out any information about the school's glee club. She had stopped a few upperclassmen in the halls but none of them had been especially kind to her. The faculty had not been able to answer any of her questions either. She was disheartened, but not anywhere near ready to give up.

Rachel stood in line in the cafeteria and tried to see what her options were to eat. She normally brought her lunch, but she had told her parents that she had wanted to buy it this year. It was much more high school to buy your lunch. Each parent had agreed and she'd even been able to collect lunch money from all three; a situation she was completely ok with. She'd only brought enough money for today though, opting to leave the rest of her money at home.

Rachel scanned the room after exiting the line with her tray in her hands. There were rows up rows of tables filled with rowdy kids all making noise and sharing stories of their summers. She was looking for a place to sit when she felt someone bump into her from behind. She lurched forward and dropped her tray to the ground with a loud clang. The room was instantly quiet and everyone strained to see until someone started to clap. The room filled with laughter and applause as she stared down at what used to be her lunch. She helped one of the lunch ladies clean it up before leaving the cafeteria and seeking out a quiet place she could sit on her own.

Rachel had seen many people she knew from middle school that day, but none she really wanted to talk to. Quinn, Santana, and Brittany were already wearing Cheerio uniforms and Puck was on the football team. Tryouts for those sports happened over the summer and so their position in the school was already solidified. She had tried to say hello to Kurt, but he just put his hand up and walked away. But Rachel didn't want to focus on the people she knew because there were lots of new people here that she could be meeting and becoming friends with. Though right now as she sat alone in an empty classroom, Rachel almost wished she was at her mother's school so she could find her and get something to eat.

Rachel stopped at her locker on her way to her last class of the day; English. It had always been her favorite and she was looking forward to it. That, and since it was the last class, she was only a little over an hour from being able to go home.

Rachel propped her book bag up on the tiny ledge of her locker and tried to fill it with her newly assigned textbooks. The ledge proved to be too small and when then bag slipped some of her books spilled out on to the floor. Rachel knelt on the floor to pick them up, which proved to be difficult because of the high traffic in the hallway since they were between classes. Rachel felt lucky to have avoided being stepped on as she got to her feet. She swung her bag to her back and turned to close her locker only to be met with an older boy wearing a football jersey.

"Hey," he said.

"Hello!" Rachel greeted excitedly.

"I'm Doug."

"I'm Rachel Berry." She held her hand out for him to shake. "It's very nice to meet you." He didn't shake her hand.

"You're new here, right?" Doug asked.

"Yes, I'm a freshman. It's my first day," Rachel answered.

"Would you like to meet some of my friends?" Doug asked.

"Yes, I would!" Rachel said. Finally this day was getting a little bit better. She knew she just had to meet the right people and she would make friends.

Doug stepped away and Rachel looked in the direction he indicated. She was not met with friendly faces, but rather with the cold shock of two slushies – one purple, one red – being throw in her face. Rachel gasped and then stood completely still as the icy, syrupy mess dripped down her face and clothes. She had to work to catch her breath because the cold was so shocking. She'd never felt anything like the sharp pain that came with being doused in a frozen substance. Her white sweater was now covered and her hair was matted to her head and face.

"Welcome to McKinley, loser!" she heard someone shout.

Rachel could hear the laughter throughout the hall as she reached up and wiped her eyes. Her chin trembled as she looked around to see the other students pointing and laughing and even taking pictures with their phones. She had never wished so badly to be anywhere else in her life than at this moment. She really wished she was at Carmel. Her mother would take care of it. All she would have to do was show up at her office or classroom and Shelby would be on the warpath to find out whoever did this. But Rachel also thought about how embarrassing that would be. She wasn't sure if this moment could get any worse, but the thought of having your mom and then your dads find out what a loser you were would be ten times worse.

The bell rang and the crowd dispersed and Rachel was left standing alone in the hall. She was now no longer one of the nameless, faceless freshmen; she had been branded. A target. Someone to laugh at. A victim. A loser.

Rachel wasn't sure what she should do next. She didn't want to be any later than she already was for class, but she couldn't show up like this with slushie still dripping from her face.

"You're going to be late," a young teacher said as he walked past her. In just a glance she had noticed his curly hair and gray vest. He didn't seem to even really look at her.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said. He didn't look back.

Rachel shut her locker and went into the closest bathroom and did her best to clean herself off. There was no way to get it all out of her hair and she obviously had no clothes to change into and with the red and purple stains on her white sweater, there was no way to hide it.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Rachel said when she finally entered the classroom. There was an immediate buzz and then laughter about her clothes and Rachel's cheeks were red when she sat down in her seat. The teacher looked sympathetic, but gave her a warning about being late all the same.

Rachel was supposed to take the bus home where she knew her fathers would be waiting for her, but she couldn't bring herself to get on it though. She'd rather walk than have to sit with people who were going to laugh at her once again. Rachel, instead, decided to walk to her mother's house. Shelby would not be home yet and Rachel would be able to slip in and take a quick shower and get something to eat. None of her parents would ever have to see her. She sent off a quick text message to her dad to let him know she'd be a little late.

Shelby stepped out of her front door and was about to get in her car when she noticed Rachel turn the corner and head towards her house. The girl's shoulders were slumped and Shelby was certain the Rachel hadn't even noticed her yet.

"Rach," Shelby said causing the girl to finally look up.

"Mom," Rachel said in surprise. She was almost to the driveway and had been too lost in her own thoughts to notice her mom's car in the driveway. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Shelby said. "Oh honey, what happened?" Shelby asked when Rachel finally got close to her.

"What? Oh, the mess," Rachel feigned. "It was nothing."

Shelby could tell that whatever it was was still stuck in Rachel's hair and that her sweater was more than likely ruined. Rachel's downcast eyes and sad demeanor didn't help her believe it.

"It doesn't look like nothing," Shelby said. "Come on, let's get you inside."

"I didn't think you would be here," Rachel said.

"I left early so I could be at your dads' house when you got home this afternoon," Shelby said. She and Rachel had stopped in the foyer because Shelby was making her take her shoes and socks off there.

"I came here to get cleaned up," Rachel said. "I told my dads I would be delayed."

"Why didn't you just ride the bus home?" Shelby asked. "That would have been quicker than walking."

"I didn't feel like it," Rachel said.

"What happened?"

"I was sitting at a table in the cafeteria and there was a boy walking by me and he was carrying a tray with two large slushies on them," Rachel said. "He tripped and fell and I just happened to be in the wrong spot because I was sitting right where the slushies landed. It really would have been quite comical if it hadn't been me." Rachel looked everywhere but at her mother while she spoke.

"Rach, why didn't you call me or your dads to bring you a change of clothes?" Shelby asked. "How long have you been covered in this mess?"

"Just a few hours," Rachel said. She had to change the timeline a bit so that it coincided with lunch time. "It's really not that bad."

"Honey, if something like that ever happens again, you call. Do you understand?" Shelby asked, getting down at eye level with her daughter. Rachel nodded. "I do not want you sitting around in wet, dirty clothes for half the day."

"Ok," Rachel said quietly.

"Why don't you go on upstairs and get cleaned up and then we'll head over to your dads'," Shelby said.

"Can I have a snack first?" Rachel asked. "Or a sandwich?"

"We're having dinner in a few hours," Shelby said.

"I know," Rachel said, looking down. "But I didn't… I forgot my money today and so I wasn't able to get anything for lunch."

"You haven't eaten all day?"

"Not since breakfast," Rachel answered.

"Honey," Shelby said as she took her hand and led her into the kitchen. Rachel filled a glass with water while Shelby got her a banana and then set about making a sandwich for her. "If you can't remember the money in the mornings than you need to leave it in your bag at night," Shelby instructed. She wasn't sure what had come over Rachel because the girl was normally more organized then anyone she knew, herself excluded. Rachel wouldn't just forget her money.

"I don't think it'll matter," Rachel said. "I'm going to bring my lunch from now on. It'll just be easier that way."

"Why?" Shelby asked. She set a paper towel holding a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in front of Rachel and then sat at the table with her. The banana was already gone.

"Just so I don't have to stand in line and everything," Rachel said. "The food didn't look all that great anyway." And it would be easier to eat alone if she didn't have to go into the cafeteria at all, but Rachel didn't say that last part aloud.

"Whatever you want to do," Shelby said.

"You don't think Dad will be mad about my sweater, do you?" Rachel asked. "He bought it for me and it's been one of my favorites ever since."

"Of course he won't, sweetheart," Shelby said as she reached out to brush some of the hair back from Rachel's face. It was a sticky mess.

Rachel finished off the last bite of her sandwich and Shelby ushered her up the stairs so she could shower. Rachel didn't go into her room or bathroom and instead headed straight for her mother's room and the bathroom in there. She had always loved her mother's room and when she was younger and feeling frightened she would lay in Shelby's bed to hide from the monsters or ghosts.

Rachel stepped into the bathroom and started the water in the shower so it would be nice and g hot and then peeled the clothes off of her and left them in a pile on the floor. When she got into the shower Rachel could see the red and purple dye running down her body and it was then that she started to cry.

"I don't know what to think," Shelby said to Leroy over the phone. She had called them to tell them where Rachel was and that they would be a little later than expected. "She didn't eat a lunch and ended up covered in that crap. It's not that hard to believe that someone would do that to her on purpose. But I don't know why she wouldn't tell me if someone did do that. It was her first day of high school and she came home with such sadness in her. It breaks my heart."

"Mine too," Leroy said. "We can try and talk to her again when you guys get here."

"Ok. And fair warning, she thinks Hiram might be upset about the sweater since he's the one who bought it for her," Shelby said. "I'm pretty certain it's ruined."

"Why would she think that?"

"I'm not sure," Shelby said. "But of course we all remember how he reacted when she covered her brand new dress in pink glitter and gold stars when she was six."

"Or when she shrank two brand new bags of clothes when she let the dryer run for two hours a couple summers ago," Leroy said. "I'll talk to him."

Shelby was surprised to find it was her bathroom that was in use when she went upstairs to get Rachel's dirty clothes and see if there was something she could do about the sweater. She could hear that the water was still running so she stuck her head in the bathroom. It was actually more like a steam room at that point.

"I'm just grabbing your clothes," Shelby said.

"I didn't grab anything from my room to put on," Rachel said above the water.

"I'll get you something."

Shelby returned ten minutes later with clothes for Rachel and a request that some water be saved for the rest of the neighborhood. "You need to finish up now, honey."

Rachel sighed and reluctantly turned the water off. She'd washed up ages ago and had been content to let the hot water try and wash her bad day away much like it had for the slushie.

"Come downstairs when you're done so we can get going," Shelby instructed. "Your dads are anxious to see you."

Thirty minutes later Rachel finally left the bathroom wearing jeans and a t-shirt with dry, clean hair. She was about to leave her mother's room when she changed her mind and went and lied down on the bed. She would let it hold her for a few minutes so the monsters would go away. A few minutes turned into fifteen and Shelby came upstairs to see what was taking so long.

"Rachel, what are you doing?" Shelby asked from the doorway. Rachel didn't lift her head from the pillow even as she turned to look at her mom.

"Nothing."

"We need to get going now."

"I love your bed."

"I know you do," Shelby said. She'd lost it to Rachel on more than one occasion. "If you want to stay here tonight that's fine, but right now we need to get going. Your dads will be over here breaking down the door soon if they don't get to see their baby girl after her first day of high school."

Rachel knew there was truth in that and she gave off her first real smile since much earlier that day.

By the time they reached the Berry household, Rachel was feeling much better and offered her dads nothing but her biggest smile when they greeted her at the door. They picked her up between them and she was able to hug them both at once. She reiterated the same story about the slushies and the lunch to them as she had told her mother. She noticed the glances they gave each other and she couldn't decide if she thought they believed her or not. Rachel quickly changed the subject to her classes and teachers and bemoaned the lack of information she had received about the existence of a glee club.

The mood was happy all through dinner and Rachel couldn't help but bouncing up and down when her dads told her they had a present for her. It was a gold star necklace and Shelby had given her the earrings to match. She declared that they would look gorgeous with the owl sweater she planned to wear tomorrow.

The parents were finally able to talk once Rachel had been sent to bed and was more perplexed than the next.

"Well surely no one would drop a slushie on a person on purpose," Hiram said. "And in all her excitement this morning she could have forgotten her lunch money."

"But kids are cruel and they've never been nice to Rachel," Leroy said. "I've seen them do worse to each other than throwing slushies. I think perhaps we should go in and have a word with the principal."

"Maybe, but if we do and it was all as she says, Rachel would be mortified," Shelby said. "Kids hate the idea of their parents at school. If it happens again, we'll know and we can go in and do something about it. And if not, we'll know that it was an accident."

Rachel listened closely from her hiding spot at the top of the stairs. She didn't know if it would happen again, but she certainly hoped not. But that was the moment that Rachel decided to always be prepared. She would bring extra clothes and toiletries to school to have just in case. She would make sure that her parents didn't find out because they wanted so badly for her to fit in and be happy there. It would be simple enough to hide it from them because she could do laundry before they got home from work. The only reason they were home early today was because it was the first day. Tomorrow would be better.

Rachel retreated back to her room when it sounded like they were done talking about her and slipped into bed and opened her book. That was how Shelby found her a few minutes later when she came to check on her.

"Uh-huh," Shelby said when she caught Rachel with her book and not asleep like she'd expected. She stepped over to the bed and took the book from her daughter's hands and put the book mark in place and set it on her desk.

"I just wanted to read a little bit more," Rachel said.

"Tomorrow. Lie down now."

"Will you sing to me?"

"Sure, sweetie," Shelby smiled. It had been a few months since Rachel asked her to sing for her. Shelby kicked off her shoes and climbed in bed next to her daughter. Rachel made herself comfortable by leaning into her and holding her mother's hand.

"Barbra."

Shelby smirked. Who else?

"People," she sang. "People who need people…"

Rachel listened to the slow melody and she closed her eyes after a few moments of resistance. When Shelby finished the song, Rachel still wasn't completely asleep, but she wasn't fully awake either.

"Rachel," Shelby said in a soft tone, "did someone hurt you today at school? Did they pick on you?"

"I didn't drop it on purpose," Rachel muttered.

"I know you didn't," Shelby said though she wasn't sure what Rachel was talking about. "Would you tell me if you got hurt at school? Your dads and I can fix it."

"Slushies… doesn't matter," was the mumbled reply.

"Why doesn't it matter?" Shelby asked.

"Because. Starting tomorrow it'll be different."

Rachel's breathing started to even out and Shelby moved her so that she could get up. She placed a kiss on Rachel's temple and tucked the blankets around her. Shelby turned off the bedside lamp on her way out of the room and with one look back at Rachel, shut the door behind her.

"Starting tomorrow…" Rachel muttered one more time before finally drifting into a deep sleep.

**A/N – I hope you guys liked this one. Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought. And I promise that there will be more Changed for the Better this week too. But I got this in my head and couldn't get it out. Thanks! **


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